Derrick construction



Feb. 7, 1933. w A TROUT 1,896,530

DERRICK CONSTRUCTlON Filed Jan. 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Thug/7Z0].William A. 7701/! Feb. 7, 1933. w. A. TROUT DERRICK CONSTRUCTION FiledJan. 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /7V6/7/01".' M'///am ,4. 7/ 0;

Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE My WILLIAM A. TROUT,LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO EMSCO DERRICK AND EQUIPMENTCOMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA DERRICKCONSTRUCTION Application filed January 12, 1929; Serial No. 332,179.

My invention relates to a novel form of derrick or tower construction,and it is a foremost object of this invention to provide a constructionwherein the assembling and dismantling of such a derrick or tower isgreatly facilitated.

In the oil industry it is customary to build a derrick structure overthe spot ,at which.

drilling is to take place. Wood-en derricks were formerly extensivelyused, but of late a steel construction has proved popular because ofsafety considerations, added strength, non-inflammability, and thepossibility of dismantling such a derrick should the well prove to bedry.

It is an object of this invention to provide a steel derrick or towerconstruction which saves a large percentage of the time previouslyrequired in, assembling and dismantling such a derrick or tower.

These objects I accomplish by replacing certain bolts in the ordinaryconstruction with rivet members having heads which extend into holes inan adjacent member, there being one or more bolts to hold the memberstogether, the rivet members resisting any tendency to rotate about thebolt. The structure I have developed meets all the regulations adoptedby the American Petroleum Institute with respect to wind-load capacitiesand dead-load capacities.

It is an object of this invention to provide a derrick constructionmeeting all standard regulations as to wind-load and dead-loadcapacities, and which is cheaper to assemble and dismantle than theordinary steel derrick.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be made evidentherein after.

Referring to the drawings, I illustrate three forms of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary View illustrating one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a. fragmentary view illustrating another form of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a third form of my invention.

Figs. 6 and 7 are alternative forms of the form illustrated in Fig. 5.

One type of well-known'derrick construction comprises a frame structure10 having four frame members 11. in the form of legs, the lower ends ofthese members resting on a suitable foundation, while the upper ends aresecured together by a suitable crown structure, not shown.

The frame structure 10 of my invention includes a plurality of gussetplates 13 which are bolted to the frame members 11 by bolts 14 havingnuts 15 secured thereon. The frame members 11 are usually in the form ofangle-irons, and the gusset plates 13 are bolted to the flanges thereofto form a suitable connection for a bracing structure which extendsbetween the adjacent frame members 11 and reinforces the framestructure.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated the bracing structure 20 as comprisingbracing members 21, 22, and 23. The bracing members 21 and 23 are termeddiagonals, while the member 22 is termed a girt. Each of these membersis in surface contact with the outer face of the gusset plate 13, beingvclamped thereagainst by bolts 24 having nuts 25 threaded thereon tocompress the bracing members and gusset plates together. As shown inFigs. 1 and 2, these bolts 24: do not extend through the frame member11, although such a construction may be applied without departing fromthe spirit of this invention.

In order to prevent the bracing structure from pivoting about the bolts24, I provide one or more rivet members 30, secured to the gusset plate13.

Referring particularly to Fi 2, the inner rivet member 30 has a roundhead 31 bearing against the gusset plate, a neck portion passingtherethrough, and a pin-head 33 formed on the other end of said rivetmember to hold this member in fixed relationship with the gusset plate.This pin-head may be formed by deforming the end of the rivet member,after this member is in place, in a manner similar to the ordinarymethod of clinching rivets.

The bracing structure 20, and more particularly the diagonal 21, has ahole 34 which is only slightly larger in diameter than the pin-head 33so that when the nuts 25 are tightened, the bracing member is preventedfrom rotating about the bolt 24 by the pinhead extending in the hole 34.A similar construct-ion clamps the bracing members 22 and 23 to thegusset plate 13.

In addition to the inner rivet member 30, I prefer to provide an outerrivet member 30 these rivet members 30 and 30 being on opposite sides ofthe bolt 24. The rivet member 30 is slightly different in form, having aneck portion extending through the gusset plate 13 and clamped theretoby two pinheads 37 and 38, these heads extending respectively throughholes 39 and 40 formed in the frame member 11 and bracing member 21. Therivet member 30 thus helps to prevent a rotation of the bracing memberabout the bolt 24, and also to prevent a rotation of the gusset plate 13about the bolts 14 securing this plate to the frame member 11. Similarrivet members are so placed as to extend in a like manner through thebracing members 22 and 23.

The rivet members 30 serve a very useful purpose in assembling thestructure, inasmuch as the pin-heads 37 may first be passed through theopenings 39 of the frame member, thus centralizing the holes in thegusset plate and frame member through which the bolts 14 aresubsequently passed. After the nuts on these bolts have been tightened,the pin-heads 38 and 33 of the respective rivet members serve asconvenient guides for positioning the bracing members, the holes 40 and34 of these members being slipped over the heads 38 and 33, thusaligning the holes of the gusset plate and bracin member through whichthe bolts 24 are sub sequently passed.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a modified form of my invention. differingfrom the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 mainly in the number of rivetsused. Thus, this construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 illustrates two ofthe round-head type of rivets 30 having the round heads 31, thepin-heads 33 of these rivets extending through openings 34 in thebracing member 21. In addition to the rivet member 3O previouslydescribed, I prefer to provide a single-ended rivet member 36 having aflat head 41 which is countersunk into the gusset plate 13 so as to beflush therewith. This rivet member has the usual neck extending throughthe gusset member and a pin-head 42 which ti htly holes the rivet inplace relative to the gusset plate and extends through an opening 43 inthe bracing member 21.

Any number or arrangement of the rivet heads may be utilized withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention. Larger structures, ofcourse, necessitate the use of more of the rivet members than do smallerstructures and the number utilized depends entirely upon the shearingforce which they are required to withstand. Rivet members such as thoseindicated by the numerals 30 and 36 resist any shearing action betweenthe gusset plate 13 and the bracing member, while the rivet membersindicated by the numeral 3O" resist any shearing either between thegusset plate and the frame member or between the gusset plate and thebracing members.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated still another form of my invention in whichthe gusset plate 13 is clamped to the frame member 11 by the bolts 24,previously described. Before assembly, however, the gusset plate 13 isplaced in a suitable punch press, and rivet members 49 having pin-heads50 are extruded therefrom by means of a punch bearing downward on oneface of the gusset plate and forming a cavity 51, thus extruding themetal downward into a die to form the pin-head 50. This construction ismuch simpler than that illustrated in the other figures, the form ing ofthe pin-heads by extrusion being quickly and cheaply accomplished. Ihave illustrated one of the double-ended rivet members 3O" as beingutilized in this construction for centralizing purposes, and also forresisting shear between the frame member 11, and the gusset plate 13.

It should be understood that the pin-heads 50 serve the same purpose asthe pin-heads 33 and 42, the pin-heads 50 extending through openings 52formed in the bracing members so as to prevent any rotation which mightotherwise tend to take place between the bracing member and the gussetplates around the bolts 24.

Similarly, in Fig. 6 I have shown extruded rivet members 55 as beingformed directly in the frame members 11 and extending into holes 56formed in the bracing member. No gusset plate is used in thisembodiment, the frame member and bracing members being held together bya nut and bolt 57, as prevition of: a frame element; a plate membersecured to said frame element a bracing member; securing means forsecuring together said plate member and said bracing member; andaligning rivets on opposite sides of said securing means for preventingrelative rotational movement of said members, said aligning rivets beingsupported by one of said members and having pin-heads resting inopenings in the other one of said members.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 also including a doubled headedaligned rivet secured to said plate member having a pair of pin-headsresting in openings formed in said frame element and said bracingmember.

3. In a derrick construction, the combination of: a frame element; aplate member secured to said frame element; a bracing member; securingmeans for securing together said plate member and said bracing member;and aligning rivets on opposite sides of said securing means forpreventing relative rotational movement of said members, said aligningrivets being supported by said plate member and having pin-heads restingin openings formed in said bracing member.

4. In a derrick construction, the combination of: a frame member; agusset plate bolted to said frame member and extending a distance to oneside thereof; a rivet member carried by said gusset in fixedrelationship thereto, said member having a pinhead; a bracing member insurface contact with said gusset plate and having a hole therein onlyslightly larger than said pinhead and into which said pin-head slides; abolt passing through said gusset plate and said bracing member; and anut threaded to said bolt to clamp said bracing member to said gusset,said rivet member having a sec ond pin-head which extends through a holein said frame member.

5. In a derrick construction, the combination of: a frame member; agusset member secured to said frame member; a bracing member; a rivetmember extending through said gusset member and said bracing member andbeing retained in one of these members, said rivet member having apin-head extending through a hole in the other of these members; andmeans for securing said bracing member and said gusset member together,said rivet member having a second pin-head which extends through a holein said frame member.

6. In a derrick construction, the combination of: a frame member; agusset member secured to said frame member; a bracing member; a rivetmember extending through said gusset member and said bracing memier andbeing retained in one of these mem-.

bers, said rivet member having a pin-head extending through a hole inthe other of these members; and means for securing said

